


Hers was the Fury

by TiredMinds



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-13
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-04-04 05:22:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4126810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiredMinds/pseuds/TiredMinds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cassana is the eldest daughter of Lord Stannis Baratheon. Cass has always yearned for freedom, especially before she was forced to marry some stranger she knew she would despise, but little did she know of what awaited her at Winterfell and the decisions she is yet to make between what is right and what she truly wants.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hers was the Fury

Cassana Baratheon remembered well when she had first arrived at Winterfell. She remembered how travelling in the wheelhouse had been uncomfortable, and how her biggest comfort had been watching the snow as it lightly blanketed the earth outside of her cage. All she had wanted to do was to stop the carriage so that she could get out and stretch her legs and to feel the grass beneath her boots, but she had forgotten that thought as soon she had seen Winterfell from her window, approaching not so far in the distance. Cassana had known Jon Arryn since she had arrived at Court, and had thought he had been a lovely, if not stale, nobleman, who lived up to the stories she had read of him and her uncles rebellion as a child.  _They are not tales for children_ her Mother, Selyse would scold. Yet her Father always wore a knowing smile when he saw the book hidden beneath others or beside her bed each night. It had been so strange when a raven came one morning whilst she was walking the castle of Dragonstone with Shireen and the news had been brought that Jon Arryn had died. Even her father, Stannis had chewed the inside of his cheek, a habit he had had for as long as Cassana could remember, a habit that spoke of his mind working in one million different ways, as though trying to figure out a riddle. _Poison_ she had heard her Mother state in shock from beneath a closed door, _aye_ Stannis had replied, and Cassana had made her way back to her room that over looked the ocean to consider that just perhaps, more was at work here than met the eye.

When the announcement of the royal families journey North to Winterfell, Cass had been ecstatic to be invited to leave Kings Landing with them, and to escape the predicament she had been placed in. To learn about the North Jon Arryn had once spoken so curiously of was an opportunity she could not say no to and after exchanging no less than six ravens with Dragonstone, she had her Fathers permission.

At court a Highborn Lady of Cassana’s station was there for one reason only: to find and marry a man with a name and title which would be of political use to her family, but she had loathed that notion entirely. She had not yet been formerly engaged, but arrangements have been put in place for her family to make a decision when she had returned back to Court. For the entire months ride she pondered on her options, and weighed the pros and cons in her mind. Her aunt by marriage, and the Queen, Cersei Lannister had suggested making another Baratheon and Lannister match to strengthen their houses further, and proposed they wed Cassana to her cousin Lancel Lannister. While her parent's had not favoured that match – her mother Selyse reasoned that she desired for her eldest daughter to wed a man with a proper title – Loras Tyrell, for example. His name had been thrown into the mix more than once. However, it was still very up in the air, so to speak, and her Father had declared that he would not make any decisions until he found someone he deemed worthy of his daughter's hand, no matter how hard the King and Queen pushed, he would not sell his daughter to somebody just to please the royal family. Cassana had almost laughed at that, for she knew her father and she knew that there truly would never be anyone truly good enough for the Baratheon man’s first born, and heir.

Looking from her window much more Cassana revelled in the sights around her. Despite the cold, the trees still had their leaves, and the flowers still bloomed. The grass beneath her boots were curtained with a light patch of snow as The Starks welcomed herself and the Royal Family in the courtyard when they had finally reached the castle, and it appeared that everyone in Winterfell had gathered to receive them.

The Starks were all standing in a line when she finally hopped out of the carriage behind little Princess Myrcella. When her uncle had entered in the courtyard on his horse they all gotten to their knees and bowed for their King. Robert and Lord Eddard Stark had exchanged pleasantries; however Cassana had missed their words as all her attention had been on the handsome stranger with dark grey eyes and brown curls standing far across the courtyard. She knew he couldn't have been a Stark for he was standing behind them, but knew he still must have been of some importance if he was stationed so close to the family. He had been looking back at her too, Cassana noted. Yet she had had to avert her eyes as the Princess, Myrcella had wanted her attention for something.

The little Princess had gushed over the handsome Lord Eddard's eldest son Robb during their time in Winterfell and it had seemed she had developed a crush on him. Telling Cassana one night how she dreamt of marrying him and having children with her green eyes and his beautiful auburn hair. Cassana had listened to her cousin's words as she styled Myrcella's hair into an intricate Southern braid, but her mind had never been far from who she had learned to be Lord Eddard's bastard son, Jon Snow. 

After the feast that was held in Robert's arrival was at an end, Cassana had been put in charge of putting Myrcella and Tommen to bed when she had lost her way back to her chambers, and found herself in a courtyard where Jon had been practicing his sword play on a wooden manikin. Jon had been stunned by her presence and told her how he knew it wasn't proper for them to be alone together, but Cassana had had too much wine and enjoyed his company as well as the fresh Northern air that helped clear her foggy mind of late.

They had spoken of many things that evening, until they had been interrupted by Jaime Lannister, who had given Jon an unfavourable look and insisted on escorting Cassana back to her chambers. The Kingslayer had been cruel to Jon after she left she knew now, but that hadn't stopped her from finding Jon later that night nor had it stopped her from kissing him either. She had kissed him for Jaime's cruelness and for Jon’s soft spoken kind words to her but also because she had desired him. She had had a connection with Jon since his eyes had found her own in that courtyard and since that moment he was all she thought about.

Jon had told her how he was merely a bastard and could not offer her anything, but that never stopped her from going to his rooms that night. Cassana had stopped at his doorway where anyone could have seen, but she blamed the wine that had made her bold and she whispered in Jon's ear how his station had mattered naught to her. Over the course of the days that followed, Cassana had in secret spent time with Jon. She had found she desired him in ways she had never thought she could desire anyone. Her Septa had, of course, taught her the mechanics of bedding a man but she had never been told of how enjoyable the experience could be. Cassana had explored her body and the sensitive nub between her legs many times before, but she had been surprised that Jon had known exactly how to satisfy her; so when she had asked him of it, Jon had simply flushed scarlet red and shaken his head _I just wanted to kiss you down there_ he had whispered before he kissed her on the mouth and Cassana had tasted herself on his sweet northern lips.

While she had those private moments alone with Jon where she could, Cassana also found herself spending time with Robb Stark as well. In the beginning it may have been simply to please the Queen, whose catlike gaze always seemed to find her after she had been sneaking about with Jon. Cassana had been escorting the youngest Prince and Princess about Winterfell, as they too liked spending time with the Stark children; however their parents, the King and Queen could not let them simply wonder. Instead, she and Robb would act as their chaperons; much to the dismay of Jon and Myrcella, who Cass knew were not happy about the pair spending too much time together.

So Cassana had tried to be polite towards Robb, yet at the same time remain distant so that she could appease the others. This proved to be quite difficult as she had found Robb’s company to be quite refreshing, and his appearance to be quite appealing if one looked for longer than the sparse glances she had given in him the beginning. After spending time with him, Cassana had seen the side of him where he wasn't Robb Stark, the heir to Winterfell, but just the young man Robb; sweet Robb, who had kissed Cassana on an evening walk through the glass gardens and though she tried her hardest not too, she began to fall for him anyway. 

Cassana had lost all coherent thought in their first kiss. She had all but lost herself in that moment and when it had been over and Robb had confessed his true feelings towards her, it was the first time she had ever doubted her feelings for Jon. Jon Snow, the bastard son of Winterfell, who was somewhat good with words but was better at doing other things with his mouth. Jon Snow, whose dark gaze had captivated her heart and made her feel things she had not been sure she was capable of feeling. Jon Snow, who believed that he was not worthy enough for her and that she should be with someone who could give her a proper life.

No matter how much Cassana had reassured him, she knew she could never fill in the void that another woman had made in Jon's heart, for that void was left by a Mother who he would never know; a Mother that Catelyn Stark had apparently not been. And then there was Robb, who represented everything she knew she should want: the heir to Winterfell, Warden of the North. He was her age as well as he was handsome and promised to no one else. Robb Stark who had held her close and told her how she had his heart the moment he had seen her that day she arrived in the courtyard and stepped from the carriage to reveal herself to all of Winterfell. He was someone who she knew her family would approve of and their children and grandchildren would govern half of Westeros once they had returned to the earth and their bones were nothing but dust. They would both live on through those children, and Cassana could not stop herself from thinking of what they would look like.

Robb had been another light in her life that brought out another side of her; the formal side who wanted nothing more to live up to what was expected of her. He understood that people like themselves could not marry for love, but he had hoped that they could find that together anyway and though she had liked that notion, Cass thought of Myrcella who had hoped her father would announce any day now that she would be marrying Robb, but had instead announced how her brother Joffrey would marry Robb's sister, Sansa instead.

Myrcella, poor sweet innocent Myrcella, had been crushed by the Kings announcement, yet that had not stopped her from pressing the matter to her mother Cersei, or from asking Cassana to help plead her case. _Please, cousin_ the little princess had begged, _I do not want to return to Court forever, Joffrey is cruel to Tommen and I, and besides, Robb asked me to dance at the feast. Do you not think that I would make him happy?_

From the beginning, Cass had thought of Myrcella's feeling to be nothing more than a crush which she would soon move on from; but when she had noted on the age difference between the two and reasoned that Robb would want to marry someone older, which the princess had taken offense and hadn't spoken a word to Cassana since.  _Surely now Myrcella would see Cassana's new relationship with Robb as a betrayal that she would not surely forgive?_

She thought of Jon too, who brought out the other side of her which wanted to marry Jon and live a gentler life; an easier life with little responsibility, of happiness without cost. Cassana also wanted to be selfish. She knew she would never be permitted to have a future with Jon, but that never did stop her from dreaming. They had spoken of running away to the Free Cities and changing their names so no one knew who they were. They had been talking in each other's arms after they had both been sated, and though he told Cassana how much he adored her, he could never leave his family or his siblings whom he loved so well. _What about R_ _obb? I want to see him marry and have children. I want to see the hair in his beard turn grey like our father's_ he had joked, but Cassana had not been able to smile at that.

The dream of escape and costless happiness had been what Cassana thought she had wanted more than anything in the world. That was until Robb had kissed her and had slowly made his way into her heart too. After their kiss, Cassana had planned to be completely truthful with Jon, to tell him everything that had happened, but he had his own news to tell her. Jon had told her that he planned to join The Night's Watch when the King's Party would leave; a party which Cassana would be leaving with. Jon had told her that what she thought they had had, had been foolish and it could never be. She knew he meant his words to hurt her; to make her see reason that they should end their relationship now before it was too late. 

_It was a dream Cassana, nothing more._


End file.
